Trump signs first veto of his presidency

"I look forward to VETOING the just passed Democrat inspired Resolution which would OPEN BORDERS while increasing Crime, Drugs, and Trafficking in our Country", tweeted Trump on Thursday after the vote.

The bill passed the Senate by a margin of 59-41 with 12 Republicans joining Senate Democrats in a rare rebuke of the president.

"I'm very proud to veto it", he added.

In declaring an emergency on February 15, Trump cited drug smuggling across the border from Mexico (misleading), the drop in crime in El Paso, Texas, after a partial border barricade was built there (not true) and reports of women kidnapped, bound with tape and trafficked into the United States across unguarded sections of the border (no evidence exists of this).

When a deal to prevent another shutdown did not give him the funding he requested, Trump declared a national emergency, redirecting funds that were allocated for other projects to build the barrier instead.

"I'd like to thank all of the Great Republican Senators who bravely voted for Strong Border Security and the WALL".

The president has said he wants a wall to prevent immigrants from crossing into the United States illegally.

He called the resolution "dangerous" and "reckless", defending the emergency declaration and saying, "People hate the word invasion, but that's what it is".

He also noted that despite record numbers of apprehensions at the border, there was not enough space to detain them all. It is unlikely that Congress will have the two-thirds majority required to override Trump's veto, though House Democrats have suggested they would try nonetheless.

Trump also has maintained he has the legal authority to act.

"I think actually a national emergency was designed for a specific objective like this, so we have a great case", Trump said. "They shouldn't even be suing, but they will because they always do".